Reviews

2 Reviews
Sort by:
Filter by Rating:
XXY (2007)
7/10
the story of ambiguity
31 December 2007
Warning: Spoilers
This is, perhaps, one of the most auspicious directorial debuts in Argentine cinema, a film whose Technical quality is flawless; containing also some surprising performances delivered by Ines Efron as the main character an Darin as his troubled father. This is a movie about personal choices and the confusion of the sexual awakening, rather than a movie about a unusual physical condition the girl has.

The middle and most dramatic scene is were Alex and Alvaro have sex in the barn, but i think this particular scene is not important for the discovery of Alex condition that you can easily guess from the movie title, but actually by the fact that, given the chance to choose what to be, She will not choose to change, even against her parents assumptions that she would want to be a girl. Towards the end of the movie we see how she was rise being both sex at he same time as an addition, not a subtraction. There is only one scene that I believe doesn't work well enough, that is the personal and cold chat Alvaro and his father have at the beach, it is just too forced and unnecessary in a movie that is not at all explicit but actually beautifully graphic.

This is a fantastic debut for Lucia Puenzo, who manages cinematography and the technical aspects as a professional, delivering this excellent depiction of the ambiguity of sexual awakening were the choices that we make are the things that define what we are beyond physical aspects.
11 out of 17 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
La señal (2007)
3/10
Predictable, confusing and poorly tapped
6 November 2007
This is the second Argentine Noir film I see this year (along with "The Mudboy") but I think this film has been completely overrated, that leaves much to desired, argumentative but also artistically.

The film is basically what we all know form a Noir film: a depressed and decadent detective which nevertheless shows great aptitude for the work; the lady in troubles, rich and mysterious that always seems to be hiding more than what she says, the always loyal and always more optimistic companion and of course "The Mafia," but what I say! If even the junior assistant who handled the car and reveals the photographs appears, well I have seen this on every film of this kind, no surprises here nor will be ahead in the movie. But then the rest of the film is a lot of confusion and turns of the plot quite clumsy, as, for example, the main character that is shown to us as a very Shrewd men and suddenly becomes nothing else but a clueless fool.

I believe, however, that the worst sin is perhaps not to take the chance to portray Argentine society in those troubled years, with all that money spent in all those cars an costumes.

The end is really surprising, but not because we do not expect that kind of end but, I think, because it is surprising that all ends there.

I think the movie tries to show how facts from the standpoint of the main character no matter if the doubts are clear or not.

But leaves you with more questions than answers and the impression that the film bite more of what could chew and in the end you keep specking what it is never going to come.

Best luck next time for Darin, which by the way gave a good performance but at times it felt into the confusion of his character, Peretti was relatively well in his semi-comic sidekick, but Julieta Diaz steals the screen with a character very much in his step, no vulnerable blonds but a center-minded passionate Brunette.
7 out of 16 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

Recently Viewed